Electric contact-box.



A. W. SCLATER'. ELECTRIC coufAcf'aox.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-26. 1914.

\ Patented May '29, 1917.

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m'rmm WILLIAM SCLA'IEB, or PICCADILLY, wns'rmms'rna, ENGLAND.-

ELECTRIC CONTACT-BOX.

Specification of Letters gatent. Patented May 1917 Application filed 0ctober'26, 1914. Serial No. 868,695.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR WILLIAM Somfrim, a subject of the King of England, and residing 'at Piccadilly, in the city of Westminster and the Kingdom of England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Contact-Boxes, of which the following is a specification. I

. In domestic electric wiring buried in walls and behind paneling, tiling and other wall coverings a difliculty arises as to the correct depth to set the iron or metal switch boxes in the walls so that when the plastering or other wall surface isfinished the switch fixed in its protecting iron box shall be at correct depth. The greatest care can be taken in fixing. the switch box correctly, but any slight variation in the thickness of the plaster or other wall surface throws out the projection of the switch handle or knob above the finished wall. d It has been proposed to mount switche and other apparatus in wall boxes upon adjustable carriers, distance piecesand the like for the purpose of adjusting the height of the apparatus in the box.

According to my invention I provide an adjustable bridge piece hereinafter called the bridge in the form of three sides of an oblong consisting of a strip of metal, fiber, vulcanite or other suitable material which can be cast, hammered, stamped, pressed or molded according to the material of which it is composed and in the two parallel sides long slots are cut or formed through which pass bolts orscrews fixed tothe sides of the box and which enable the position of the bridge in the box to be adjusted and held in osition so that the switch handle or kno can be made to project beyond the surface of the wall more or less as required.

I sometimes arrange the bridge to fit into recesses cast in the sides of the switch box by which means it is kept steady and the bridge can be moved in and out of the box as required.

The slots can be of the well known keyhole type so that the head of the bolt or screw can pass through an enlargement of the slot thereby enabling the bridge with the switch "attached to, be removed from the box by simply loosening the bolts or screws or the slots can be cut out to the free end of the parallel sides.

The boxes can be arranged to carry single switches or any larger number and in some cases it is convenient to fix two or more switches to the same bridge.

As the bridge is arranged above the bottomor back of the box ample room is pro- Vided to allow the wiring to pass behindbelow or under the switch Withoutv any ob- .struction.

Owing to the way in which the switches can be adjusted inside the-box it will be observed that the covering plate can be of plain domed or recessed type as the bridge carrying the switchescan beraised or lowered in the box as required to accommodate the cover plate.

In addition to boxes for switches this invention is applicable" to bell pushes, wall sockets,'fuse blocks and other electrical ap paratus used in the wiring of buildings.

To enable the invention to'b'e fully understood I. will describe it by referenceto the accompanying-drawings.

Figure 1 is afront elevation partly in section of asingle switch box made in accordance with this invention withjpart of the covering plate broken away.

Fig. 2' is a horizontal s'ection of the same switch box.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of a double 3 switch box.

Fig. 4c is a horizontal plan partly in section of the same switch box.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of a wall socket box with part of the covering plate broken away.

Fig. 6 is a vertical section of the same wall socket box.

In Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4 a. is theiron or metal switch box which is let into the wall, care, being taken that the front does not project beyond the finished surface of the Wall, but which may be below the finished surface as indicated at 2 in Fig. 2.

b is the bridge which carries the switch or switches, wall socket, bell, push, fuse block or other electrical apparatus. It will be observed that this bridge spans the box from side to side and that a clear space is providedbehind it to provide a passage for wires without obstruction.

a shows the recesses into which the bridge 6 slides and by which it is kept steady in the box.

The slots in the bridge are indicated by a in the sections Figs. 2 and 4 and in elevat1on in Fig. 6. I

In Fig. 1 the keyhole type of slot is in-- -dicated y the letter e which shows-the keyhole as a semicircle. ,It will be observed that by loosening the bolts or screws 7 it is possible to ,draw out the bridge from the box with the switch attached, the heads of the bolts or screws f passing through the enlarged keyhole end of the slot d.

' It will be observed that in Fig. 2 the switch box is sunk below the finished surface of the wall indicated at 2 and that a fiat covering plate 9 is used. I

In Fig.4 the front of the box is let in flush with the finished surface of the wall and a domed covering plate It is used.v

The adjustment obtained by moving the bridges in or out is observable in'these two figures. L

Figs. 5 and 6 show a circular box a in which is mounted a wall socket and in which the bridge b is placed in the box in inverted manner to that shown -in Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4, which is sometimes more convenient for mounting such pieces of apparatus as Wall sockets and bellpushes.

I claim:-

1. The combination with a contact box having an opening in its front face, of a U-shaped bridge carriedtherein having slots in theparallel members thereon, and means for clamping said parallel members to the walls of the contact box in fixed adj usted positions.

2. The combination with an electric contact box having an opening in its front face and grooves in its opposite walls, of a substantially U-shaped bridge adjustably carried in said grooves offset from the bottom of the box, the parallel members of the bridge being slidably carried in said grooves, and means for clamping the parallel members of the bridge in fixed positions on the walls of said box in said grooves, substantially as described.

3. The combination with an electric contact box having an opening in its front face, of a substantially U-shaped bridge removably carried there n ofifset from the bottom of the box, havin elongated slots in the parallel members t ereof and enlarged extensions thereof in the adjacent ends of the connecting member, and screws passing through said slots for removably and adjustably securin the bridge in fixed position, substantial y as described.

4. The combination with an electric contact box having an opening in its front face, of a substantially U-shaped bridge removably carried therein ofi'set from the botcent walls of the box for remova ly and adjustably clamping-the bridge in fixed position on said walls.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my inventlon, I have signed my name before the subscribing witnesses this 15th day of October, 1914.

ARTHUR WILLIAM SOLATER.

Witnesses:

ELIE JOSEPH LACOMBE-LANE, MARGARET FRANCES BIGGS. 

